Experiences With In-Person and Virtual Health Care Services for People With Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: Qualitative Study.
Thea Krag, Emma Højgaard Jørgensen, Klaus Phanareth and 1 others
PMID 37578832WHAT IT FOUND
People with COPD valued close, familiar support from clinicians and peers.
Virtual monitoring helped some feel safer, but equipment problems could push them away. Group exercise with peers was preferred to home equipment, and ending the rehabilitation program reduced motivation.
Key findings
01Informants wanted clinicians who knew their history, had time to listen, and addressed both medical and emotional well-being.
02Virtual monitoring gave some participants a sense of security, while those with less severe COPD had less contact and some wanted more.
03Exercise with peers and a facilitator was described as more motivating than home equipment, and ending the rehabilitation program reduced motivation.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
The informants were recruited from a telemonitoring trial, so they may already be open to digital health care. Males were more likely to accept participation, and the gender mix may not reflect the COPD population. Only 11 first-round informants and 4 confirmatory informants were analysed, so the findings are not broadly representative. The interviews were virtual, so body language and other nonspoken signals may have been missed. Informants did not review transcripts, and data privacy concerns were not explored in depth.
Declared interests
One author, KP, is a co-owner of Epital Health Ltd, which provided the virtual response and coordination service studied. The study was conducted in collaboration with the University of Copenhagen, Epital Health Ltd, and Alles Lægehus. Other authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this as evidence that virtual COPD monitoring improves health outcomes. It reports experiences from 11 first-round and 4 confirmatory informants, not measured effects, and technology problems could prevent use.